Archives for May 2006

The three major soft drink companies, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Cadbury Schweppes announced today/yesterday, they’ve agreed to remove soft-drinks from American schools.

Tenneseeans are among the fattest in the nation, but a study released today/yesterday shows most people in the state are trying to lose weight.

On the second day of Metro Nashville budget hearings yesterday, Mayor Bill Purcell told the water department not to increase their rates this year.

14 representatives of mid-state congregations met with Governor Phil Bredesen yesterday for a roundtable discussion about his Cover Tennessee health care proposal.

A study by a Baltimore-based financial research firm is telling cities to stay out of the high-speed Internet business.

Fat Tennesseans cost the state millions, even billions by some estimates, in obesity- related health care costs. Tennessee has become the first state in the country to strike an unusual deal with Weight Watchers. As of January 1st the state began paying for TennCare enrollees to join Weight Watchers in a nine-month pilot project. TennCare hopes money spent on weight loss now, will save the state millions in obesity-related costs down the line. WPLN’s Christine Buttorff has more.

Bill Frist’s time as Senate Majority Leader is drawing to a close. The TennesseeRepublican is retiring from the Senate early next year. Then, Frist is expected to turn his attention to running for the White House.

But for now, Frist is in tough negotiations with other lawmakers over immigration reform. And he’s concerned about how political bribery scandals are rocking both Washington and tennessee. Chad Pergram talked with Senator Frist last week and has this report from our Capitol Hill Bureau.

The bill that would have re-opened a TennCare category for those who can’t get private health insurance plans, failed a senate committee yesterday, dampening its chances in the house, for the second year in a row.

Tennessee Representative Jim Cooper thinks the powers of nation’s executive and legislative branches are out of balance, and suggests it may be up to the courts to straighten out the problem.